Wichita, Kan., March 18, 2008 – Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, awarded more than $ 25,000 in scholarships during the 19th annual Women in Aviation Conference last week in San Diego.

Tina Willman-Hammar of Illinois received an $ 18,800 scholarship to pursue a Cessna Citation Encore type rating, which will enable her to fly multiple aircraft in the Citation family.

Krista Ambats of New York won a $ 7,000 scholarship to cover the training required to earn a Private Pilot´s license.

"The number and quality of scholarship applicants continues to increase every year, and much of the credit for that goes to the Women in Aviation International (WAI) organization," said Jim Walters, vice president, Human Resources at Cessna. "Providing scholarships is just one way we can help break down some of the barriers females face in the aviation industry. Cessna has been an active sponsor of this annual conference for 12 years; we are proud to team with WAI to encourage females to pursue careers in aviation."

The 2008 conference featured prominent speakers, safety and informational seminars, FAA maintenance recurrent training, a flight instructor refresher clinic and an extensive aviation trade show. A record 3,320 pilots, mechanics, flight attendants, airport managers, students and aviation enthusiasts participated in this year´s conference.